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What does Sustainability mean to you??
Working in sustainability means I am often asked about what I do and what it actually means.
Most people think it is just about protecting the environment whilst some still really have no idea.
The universally accepted definition that it ‘meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ is pretty dry and non-specific.
What it really means is that we need to provide a good quality of life for all human beings, whilst decreasing our environmental impact, so that we can live within the resources available on our one planet (our current average rate of global consumption is that of 2.3 planets, whilst in the UK it is 3.5!).
This is a big ambition – which is why it causes so much confusion – but it is in response to a big problem, so clearly needs an equally big vision to tackle it.
We are forecast to have around 9 billion people on our planet by 2050, so for all of them to have a good quality of life without us trashing it, we need lots of brilliant solutions and fast.
Sustainability is a way for us to deliver collective solutions to these challenges, to keep our amazing people and planet beautiful and healthy, and not to go the way of Easter Island – where they literally cut down the last tree – ending up starving and fighting over the last resources.
No, nobody wants that.
But rather than talking about merely surviving, sustainability is also about thriving. Bristol’s Big Green Week in June had the tagline #LovetheFuture, which is a great way to frame it.
Many of the world’s leading companies have now embraced sustainability and are using it help make them more productive and profitable. If you would like to find out how to make sustainability work better for your business or organisation, we are running an event at Triodos Bank on 10 September, with Ecotricity and Go Green. This will help you to develop innovative sustainability solutions which are meaningful to you and good for ‘people, planet and profit.’
As Abraham Lincoln once said: ‘A great way to predict the future is to create it.’ That to me is what sustainability is all about, creating an abundant future, of which we all want to be a part.
Bristol Green Capital year is a perfect time to ensure your organisation or business is more sustainable. We provide a free Sustainability Health Check to identify how you can make your business more productive whilst improving your social and environmental impacts.
To secure your place at our event on 10 September at Triodos Bank contact: Traci Lewis, Sustain-Live Consulting traci@sustainlive.org www.sustainlive.org
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